"You Can Get Ransacked From AirBnB" Is This Year's "You Can Get Fired From Blogging"http://www.businessinsider.com/you-can-get-ransacked-from-airbnb-is-this-years-you-can-get-fired-from-blogging-2011-7/comments
en-usWed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500Sun, 02 Aug 2015 16:31:27 -0400Charlie O'Donnellhttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/4e3db6fd6bb3f78e39000008Kristina FestaSat, 06 Aug 2011 17:49:49 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4e3db6fd6bb3f78e39000008
Egregiously poor customer service is news, regardless of company size. Airbnb was castigated because they tried to squelch the initial story and then didn't fix the issue fast enough, not because they are a newfangled interwebz business. Soldiers returning from duty in Afghanistan nearly brought down Delta Airlines with a YouTube video complaining of excessive baggage fees. And, sure the hotel industry will be happy when airbnb has a misstep, United and American quickly took advantage of Delta's PR nightmare too. Granted, entities with spotless brand reputations are going to get more attention from the media for their missteps than those whose reputation is already tarnished. Airbnb implied a level of protection for their users that Craig's List explicitly does not. Airbnb has done right by the host now, and might have a new revenue stream out of offering insurance, that's a good start. The news media also loves redemption stories.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4e36db6beab8ea0420000001Stephen ChappellMon, 01 Aug 2011 12:59:23 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4e36db6beab8ea0420000001
While I generally agree on the whole fearmongering/scandalmongering outlook (e.g. iPhone 4 is dead in the water due to antennagate - not), what I find particularly interesting about this story is the poor way in which the AirBnB guys handled this issue.
Of course you can occasionally expect a problem when renting to total strangers. This particular problem was kind of extreme, so that was shocking in itself - but the ham-handed way that AirBnB and a certain VC handled the problem are the real story here. There's an opportunity for AirBnB to offer special types of insurance against problems like this - they can't completely stand back and say 'not our problem'. That's a big flaw in their business model. They can still turn this around, not just by making things right with the poor lady who returned to find her home trashed, but by addressing concerns of loads of people who won't join their service due to the inherent risk.
So is this blown out of proportion? Maybe. But when a flaw in a business model is exposed (and perhaps flaws in the experience level of its founders), it's credible news. If I were a VC, would I invest in AirBnB - only if they addressed security issues for its users. Even then, this service certainly won't be for everyone (no way in hell am I giving a complete stranger the keys to my home).http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4e36cef5eab8ea8928000001SamanthaMon, 01 Aug 2011 12:06:13 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/4e36cef5eab8ea8928000001
Cough Houghington Post cough. Long live sensationalism! (not)